Cotton treatment method and apparatus



June 26, W34. 5. GREEN CQTTON TREATMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l i if) Kiri-r A TTORNEYS.

June 26 1934. s. GREEN 3,964,259

COTTON TREATMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. .fi'fliewaoa Gig EN ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 26, 1934 PATENT OFFICE COTTON TREATMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS Sherwood Green, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to American Cotton Machinery 00., Berkeley, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application March 7, 1931, Serial No. 520,976

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to methods for the treatment of cotton fiber, and to apparatus which can be utilized for carrying out such methods. It relates particularly to methods and apparatus for moistening dry cotton fiber preparatory to ginning or other milling operations.

It frequently happens that in the storage or handling of cotton fiber, preparatory to milling operations, the fiber becomes excessively dry due to prevailing atmospheric conditions. Such excessive dryness of the fiber is undesirable for certain reasons, mainly in that it creates a fire hazard, and in that the fiber tends to break dur ing milling operations, thus producing a low quality fiber product. A fire hazard is created by virtue of the fact that the excessively dry cotton fiber tends to form charges of static electricity when being handled by ginning or milling machines, the charges being frequently sufiicient to cause sparking and resulting ignition of the highly inflammable fiber.

"It is an object of the present invention to devise a method of treating dry cotton fiber preparatory Q to milling operations whereby such fire hazards as referred to above are minimized, and whereby milling operations upon the fiber are facilitated. In attaining this object I impart a sufficient amount of moisture to the dry cotton fiber to render the same neutral to the formationof static charges of electricity.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a novel method and apparatus for imparting moisture to cotton fiber whereby the percentage of moisture in, the treated fiber can be controlled,

and whereby the treatment can be made continuous.

it is a further object of the invention to devise anovelcotton moistening apparatus which will be relatively simple in construction, reliable in operation, and which will occupy a minimum amount of space. for its capacity.

,,Further objects of the invention will app ar from the followingdescription in which the -pre-'- ferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth indetail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that .theappended claims are to be accorded a range a; 'of-fequivalentsconsistent with the state of the Figure 2 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the rotary drum of the apparatus set at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a modification, in which the direction of flow of the moisture-imparting gas is opposite the direction of travel of the cotton fiber through the apparatus.

In carrying out the method of this invention I maintain a moving column of gas containing sumcient water vapor or moisture to impart a certain amount of the moisture to the cotton being treated. The cotton fiber is continually progressed through a predetermined path, and during such progression it is continually agitated and repeatedly dropped through the column of moist gas. One form of apparatus for carrying out this method is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It consists generally of a cylindrically shaped drum 10, which is comparatively long with respect to its diameter, and which forms an elongated treatment chamber 11. In the mod ification shown in Fig. 1 the drum is substantially horizontal and is supported in such position by means of a suitable frame 12. In order to provide means for continually rotating the drum about its axis, spaced shafts 13 are shown journaled upon frame 12. These shafts are provided with .rollers 14 which are adapted to engage roller tracks 16 surrounding and mounted upon drum' 10. A suitable drive connection to one of shafts 13 is represented by the sprocket chain connection 1'7.

'As illustrated in Fig. 1, the left end of drum 10 is adapted to continually receive the dry cotton fiber to be treated, and the right hand and is open to permit discharge of treated cotton fiber. A moving column of gas is maintained through the interior of drum 10, preferably by having one end of the drum communicate with an air or gas discharge conduit 18. This conduit can be connected to a fan, blower, or other means for causinga current of air or gas of predeter-, mined velocity, and preferably the fan, blower, or other means employed, is' under the control of the operator. Conduit 19 is representative ofsuitable means for introducing the dry cotton fiber tobe treated, and this fiber is delivered into the left'end of drum 10 together with the gas introduced through conduit 18. As shown in Fig.2, a plurality of vanes 21 are mounted upon the inner walls of drum 10, 11

and when the drum is being rotated, these vanes serve to continually carry the cotton fiber to the upper portion of the drum and then permit the same to fall downwardly through the moving column of gas. By setting vanes 21 at various angles as shown in Fig. 2, the fiber is more effectively distributed throughout the column of gas, thus effecting adequate contact between the fiber and the gas. In most instances it is desirable to introduce air from the atmosphere through conduit 18 into the drum. Without the introduction of further water vapor, such an atmosphere will not contain sufilcient moisture to materially affect the fiber. Therefore, suitable means such as steam pipe 23 is utilized for increasing the moisture content of the air, whereby a desired amount of this moisture is absorbed by the fiber.

As will be presently explained the apparatus is preferably operated in such a manner that the cotton fiber will not become wet. Wet fiber is characterized by the presence of condensed water upon the surfaces of the fibers, and is unfit for ginning or other milling operations.

The fiber may become wet if the apparatus is operated in sucha manner that water condenses upon the inner surfaces of the drum 10. In order to avoid such condensation the walls of drum 10 can be heated to an elevated temperature by suitable means, such as the fuel burners 24.

In order to explain the operation of the apparatus described above, it will be presumed that a continuous fiow of air of a predetermined velocity is being maintained through conduit 18, and that dry cotton fiber to be treated is being continuously introduced through conduit 19. A

predetermined amount, of water vapor in. the form of steam is introduced into the air stream by pipe 23. The cotton fiber within .drum'lO is continuously agitated and is repeatedlydropped down through the column of moisture ladened air within the drum, and gradually absorbs moisture. The amount of moisturecontained in the product and discharged from the drum can be controlled by a number of difierent factors. Generally speaking, the higher the moisture content of the air within the drum, the more moisture will be absorbed by the cotton fiber. Therefore the-moisture content of the product as discharged can be controlled to a certain extent by controlling the amount of steam introduced by way of pipe 23. A certain degree of control can also be effected by varying the velocity and volume of air introduced by way of conduit 18. Such a control serves to directly vary the velocity of air fiow through. drum 10, and the air fiow through the drum determines the period of time required for the product to progress through the drum to the point of discharge. This time period for a given mass of fiber is reduced by increasing the velocity of air fiow, and the amount of moisture absorbed by the cotton fiber correspondingly reduced. As has been previously explained, in general a sumcient amount of moisture is imparted to the fiber to render it substantially neutral to'formation of static charges of electricity when passed through conventional ginning or milling machinery, without causing the fiber to become wet. When the amount of moisture is between proper limits the fiber is also in better condition for milling operations,

-' due to the fact thatit can be handled more readily and because the individual fibers will not readily break.

It is also possible to percentage 0! I an elongated drum having moisture imparted to the cotton fiber by varying the position of drum 10 with respect to the horizontal. Thus in the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, the discharge end of the drum is at a lower elevation than the end into which the cotton fiber is introduced. Thus in this case the fiber tends to progress toward the discharge end of the drum by gravity, aided to a certain extent by the air flow. Assuming that otherwise the apparatuses of Figs. 1 and 3 are substantially identical, to produce a given time period of treatment, the velocity of air flow through the drum of Fig. 3 can be materially less than with the apparatus of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a modified form of-apparatus which operates in such a manner as to secure an automatic classifying action. In this case rotatable drum 10 is also inclined and cotton to be treated is delivered into the upper end thru conduit26. A draft of air is caused to fiow thru the drum by introducing a stream of air into the lower end thru conduit 27. Moisture can be introduced thru steam pipe 28. Due to the continual draft of air thru the drum towards the upper end, a force will be exerted against the cotton masses which is opposed to the force of gravity tending to cause the masses to progress to the lower delivery end of the drum. As a result relatively dry cotton will be retained within the drum and treated for a longer period than cotton which already contains some moisture, so that the cotton as discharged is substantially uniform as to moisture content. Such an apparatus .and method is desirable where the cotton being treated is not of uniform dryness.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for moistening cotton fiber. one portion thereof adapted to receive dry cotton fiber in loose condition and another portion thereof adapted to 115 discharge fiber as moistened within the drum, means for continually rotating the drum about its axis, vanes formed upon the inner'periphery of the drum for repeatedly agitating the fiber within the drum, and means for simultaneously 120 imparting moisture to the fiber and for determining the time period of treatment within the drum, said means comprising means for continuously maintaining a current of moisture imparting gas longitudinally through said drum at a predetermined velocity and in a direction toward the discharge portion of the drum.

2. In an apparatus for moistening cotton fiber, an elongated cylindrical drum having an inlet for cotton fiber at one end thereof and an outlet 130 for the fiber at the other end thereof, means for rotating saiddrum about its longitudinal axis, said drum being supported with its longitudinal axis inclined with respect to the horizontal and with the inlet end of the drum elevated with re-' spect to the outlet end, and means for delivering a moisture imparting gas through the drum in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the fiber through the drum thereby regulating the rate of discharge of the moistened fiber from the drum.

3. In an apparatus for moistening cotton fiber, an elongated cylindrical drum having an inlet for cotton fiber at one end thereof and an outlet for the fiber at the other end thereof, means for rotating said drum about its longitudinal axis. said drum being supported with its longitudinal axis inclined with respect to the horizontal and with the inlet end' or the drum elevated with rep ct to the outlet end, means for delivering a .150

or the drum for repeatedly agitating the fiber within the drum, means for simultaneously impartingmoisture to the fiber and for determining the time period of treatment within the drum, said means comprising means for continuously maintaining a current of moisture-imparting gas longitudinally through said drum at a predetermined velocity, and means for maintaining the walls of said drum at a temperature which is sufficiently high to preclude condensation or moisture thereon.

SHERWOOD GREEN. 

